As a Basque, Aitor Karanka understands why Stewart Downing dropped down to the Championship to play for his hometown club.

The Boro boss admits few people in Spain would be able to comprehend why an international would choose the second tier over a club in the top flight particularly if it meant earning less money.

He said: “In the beginning I couldn’t understand how a player like Stewart would want to do something like this.

“I don’t know about here, but in Spain it is difficult to understand that a player wants to go from the Premier League to the Championship, especially with his salary because it is difficult find a player who wants to earn much less money playing for your team than playing in the Premier League.

“It was amazing for me and a very good surprise. And it means that we are doing something well if a player like Stewart Downing wants to join us.”

Downing had offers to join Premier League clubs and the option of staying with West Ham but had set his heart on coming home.

Karanka believes Teesside is very similar to the area of Northern Spain he hails from and that’s why he can understand why Downing returned home to Middlesbrough.

He said: “As a player it is difficult to understand a player who wants to lose money and to go to a different category to play.

“But the area I am from, Vitoria, is very similar and the attitude to their own region is the same, so I can understand Stewart’s desire to play for Middlesbrough, his club.”

Karanka admitted he was stunned when he heard that Downing wanted to play for him at Boro.

“I couldn’t really believe it,” he added. “The only way I knew it was true and could believe it was because the call came from the chairman and I trust Steve Gibson 150%.”